Tiny Turds

I do not feel sick.  At first thought I had eaten something bad because of the diarrehea but for a week my body has suddenly started producing little oblong turds about 1-2 inches long and along with is a nasty, foul smelling mucus.  On an irregular basis is blood.  It can be a lot with clots or it can be faint in the mucus.  The pain is in the gas build up and trying to go and can't.   My diet is oatmeal in AM.......burger or chicken sandwich lunch......meat and veggies at night.........grapefruit and orange juice as snacks during the day.  I drink lotz of unsweetened tea, and a carbonated drink drink a day.  Increased fiber and have seen no difference ....yet.

Prior to this I have had very normal "S" shapes and no gas at all unless I drank milk products.   Only thing different is a injection in my bad knee.  Please help.  This is not my favorite topic but i really could use some help.  i do not have the funds for a doctor to run guessing game tests.  Which tests would be the very best choice to go with on my budget?   what do you think is cause??? thanks for any kind considerations & time

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? What other symptoms are present? Increased amount of mucus in stool or with other symptoms such as blood in stool and changes in bowel habits warrants further evaluation by a doctor or specialist. While mucus in stool can occur with a variety of intestinal infections, it can also be due to more serious conditions such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and even cancer that needs to be ruled out. Stool exam will help rule out infection. Additional diagnostics such as imaging studies may need to be done also. Take care and do keep us posted.